Boxing champion Junior Witter has been a World, European, British and Commonwealth light welterweight champion. He studied Computer Service Engineering at Bradford College.
Junior’s family came to Bradford from Jamaica and he was born and brought up in the city. He began boxing aged 11 following a suggestion by a friend. He found that it was a useful outlet for his energies and it kept him out of trouble!
He had more than 100 wins as an amateur and Junior was almost 23 before he had his first professional fight. Prior to this he qualified as a computer service engineer after two years at Bradford Technical College. He then went to work for Jennings Computer Engineering in Bradford, building, servicing and carrying out repairs on computers and printers. This was impossible to sustain with his training at Brendan Ingle’s gym in Sheffield and so he worked the early shift in various warehouse jobs and as a barman in a social club before he turned professional.
“I was interested in two subjects really – computers and biology. I enjoyed my two-year computer course. It was good at the time and I met good friends. I was really into it when I started working in computers but I realised that what I really wanted to do was boxing. I still mess about with computers but they are a profession you must keep on top of.”
Junior has won 37 of his 42 fights, 22 by delivering a knockout punch. He has drawn only two bouts and lost only three times. No wonder he is known as Junior ‘The Hitter’ Witter!
He won the British and Commonwealth titles in 2002; the European title in 2004 and first won the WBC title in 2006, defending it twice before suffering an uncharacteristic defeat on points to American Timothy Bradley in Nottingham on 10th May 2008. He came back in November 2008 with a third-round knockout to Argentinean, Victor Hugo Castro, but lost to Devon Alexander for the vacant WBC belt in Sunrise, Florida on 1st August 2009.
Junior is currently one of the patrons for the Boxing Academy run by Bradford College.
Please note that the information and images have been provided by Bradford College. Full detail and information of 175 Heroes can be found at 175heroes.org.uk
